Improved mode of firing night-signals



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC EDGE, OF JERSEY CITY, NEWv JERSEY, AND CHARLES C.

" OF STONING'ION, CONNECTICUT.

HYDE,

IMPROVED MODE OF FIRING NIGHT-SIGNALS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 35,089, dated April 29,1862.

To all whom it may concern:

y Be it known that we, Isaac EDGE, of .Tersey City, in the State of NewJersey, and CHARLES CARROLL I-IYDE, of Stonington, in the State ofConnecticut, have invented a new and Improved Means fo r Ign itin NightLights or Signals to `be Used for Military and other Like Purposes; andwe hereby declare that the following is a full and exact descriptionthereof, reference beingl had to the accompanying drawings, and totheletters of reference marked thereon.

' le employ the usual signal ease and tube provided with a proper handlefor holding the signal while burning, the signal-case being rammed withinflammable composition to produce the proper light or lights required.This tube is slotted at its upper end, and is vprovided with a slidingring to compress the tube upon the stem of the signal and secure itthereto. )Vith such ordinaryT contrivance Vthe handle is not fastened tothe holdingtube, but its stem is allowed to play freely therein, and tothis stem a wire or metallic rod is firmly secured,jand is of suchlengtli i that when the handle is closed against the ,signal B attached,and Fig. 2 shows the same in longitudinal section. C shows the slots; D,the sliding ring; l l l, the signal-Case, of paper or other propermaterial; 2, 'the base with its stein and match -case, carrying a rammedfuse, 3, and match 4; and 5 shows the rammed signal composition; and forfurther explanation E may represent the sliding handle, and c the rodfirmly secured to it.

' The difficulties in the employment of the above-described areinconvenience, uncertainty, and danger, as it is difficult to soregulate the force of the blow (usually by striking the end of thehandle against some hard substance) but that the signal is often drivenfrom the socketaltogether; again, ineifectual blows frequently discoverthe signal useless for the tiine, which difficulty, after such repeatedvain efforts, (always in the dark,) leads to the discovery that the caphad dropped oil' or had become useless from corrosion from its longcontact with the iron nipple. As the cap is exposed when the signal isnot in the staff, it isA easily `fired by accident, thus rendering itdangerous.

Ourimprovemcnt (see drawings) consists in placing a couche of fulminatepaste within a socket in the stem of the signal at a, and directly upont-he fuse composition The fulminate paste will not deteriorate from age,it cannot fall from its place, it will not miss fire, nor can it befired except by design, for which We employ a firing-tube provided withits handle E firmly attached thereto. handle is provided with a socket,l), throughout nearly its entire length to admit the rod c to slidefreely therein. To this rod cwe attach a piston or plug, d, fitting thetube, and to this plug we afx a strong knob or button, c, secured fromthe outside of the tube and traversing freely in a longitudinal.

slot, fi, cut therein, the slot at its lower end being cut across thetube a distance about equal to the diameter of the stem of the knob anddesigned to lock it in position when drawn down.

Between the en d of the fixed handle E and the piston d we place ahelical spring, f, and above the piston we place a shorter and morefeeble helical spring, g, which bears against an annular plate ordiaphragm, 71 soldered to the tube. Now it follows that with the signallixed as in Fig. 2, if the button be drawn down and locked, as shown inFig. l, and the tube be held by the handle, the button may be pressed tothe right with the thumb or finger, .y

when the spring f willforce the rod upon and ignite the fulminate a andiire the signal.

y The spring g will quickly withdraw the end of the rod from` thesocket, as shown in Fig.'

This.

2, toallow the escape of the gas downward the annular .'piate 71ythrough the agenoy of from the fuse and ont by orifices la, or othei'-the button e, the slot i, and the Socket b, sub- Wise it might force thesignal from the tube. stantially as described.

\Ve claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentgigiigiio i HYDE Theherein-described improvement in firing' Y f' Y Y 1 1night -signals by means of the fuhninate i Witnesses: couche a., firedby the self-acting rod 0, aetu- J. B. HYDE,

ated by springs f and g and the piston l and LEROY SCHERMERHORN.

